Unwelcome Visitors In The Home
September 3rd, 2010When it gets cold outside there is not much nicer than relaxing in a nice warm home. This applies to rodents as well. When the temperature drops, so does a rodent’s source of food– yet another reason homes become increasingly appealing for rodents, which infest over 21 million homes in America, as reported by professionals in the pest control industry.Typically, rodents live off of vegetation and seeds but are pushed to move in on human residences for food when the freezing winter weather or drought sets in.
Easily gaining access through exterior cracks in your house mice and rats will make themselves at home. A mouse needs just 1/4 inch to get inside your home, whereas most other rodents can squeeze through a 1/2 inch hole.Climbing is also a talent for rodents so they may find their way into your home through utility openings or vents that appear to be out of reach. There are many adverse effects of having rodents around. Rodents are seen as fire hazards, they like to gnaw and will often target electrical wiring which can cause fires, they can also spread any amount of disease through their excrement and bites. Help on pest Control Services is easy to get.
Over 200 pathogens are transmittable to humans from a rodent.There are some really nasty diseases too, like Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS, and the plague which can both be deadly. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains that HPS is spread through feces, urine and the saliva of infected deer mice, it has been found in 30 states over the last 14 years. Almost 35% of the 465 filed cases have led to death.
There are also 12 cases of the plague reported in the United States each year, although this is obviously a very rare ailment. The health of humans and rodents have long been intertwined. As far back as the 14th century rodents can be blamed for the quick spread of the plague that ravaged much of Europe, although no longer a great concern these days, rodents still carry harmful diseases. While only a handful of the diseases that are spread by rodents are fatal, any infestation of rodents should be addressed quickly and professionally.
There is a stigma attached to rodents in a home, it is assumed the homeowners are dirty people, however this is not exactly true. Specialists concur that food availability and untidiness can emphasize the appeal of a house, but rodents are simply unscrupulous and will enter any building offering easy access. If you think you might have rodents in your house, there are certain signs to watch for. Gnawed boxes of food in cupboards are one sign, oily marks along the walls where they have been moving and gnawed furnishings or door frames are also a good sign you have rodents in your home, you may even hear them moving behind walls or ceilings and will most likely come across droppings. You can get the best organic pest control services information by visiting this website.
When you think you have an infestation immediately get the help of a pest control operator. A typical effort to remove rodents from a home will combine traps and poisons specially designed to kill rodents, commonly referred to as rodenticides. You could do this yourself but a trained professional will implement these methods with a greater degree of efficiency and success. There are certain things you can do to prevent rodents invading your home during colder seasons. Firewood should be kept off the ground and at a good distance from the house. Get rid of any debris, brick or rock piles in your yard. Piles like these that are near a home provide shelter for rodents and often help conceal their entrances.
Check your house for any holes or cracks and make sure you seal any that are larger than 1/4 inch. Even bigger openings may need to be plugged first with steel wool or wire mesh, and then sealed. Check foundation and attic vents and cover them with some hardware cloth of about 1/4 inch, make sure it is tight fitting. The methods you can use to prevent insect infestation will not be effective against rodents, so be sure to install tight weather stripping. Routinely trim tree branches to keep them from hanging out and above the house, and clip bushes back and away from the structure’s borders.